JON VENABLES FACES NEW BID FOR FREEDOM — BUT JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY WON’T GET THE PUBLIC HEARING THEY WANTED

More than three decades after two-year-old James Bulger was taken from a shopping centre, his killer is once again facing a parole hearing — and the decision will be made behind closed doors.

Jon Venables is facing another chance at freedom.

Now 44, Venables will have his latest parole case considered at an oral hearing, more than two years after his previous bid was rejected.

But the hearing will not be open to the public.

The Parole Board has rejected applications from James Bulger’s family and several media organisations for a public hearing, saying the legal threshold for opening the proceedings had not been met.

THE CASE THAT SHOCKED BRITAIN

In February 1993, Venables and Robert Thompson were both 10 years old when they abducted two-year-old James Bulger from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside.

The case shocked Britain and became one of the most notorious child cases in the country’s history.

Venables and Thompson were later convicted of James’s murder.

Both were released on licence in 2001 under lifelong anonymity protections.

But Venables’ story did not end with his release.

RECALLED TO PRISON TWICE

Venables was recalled to prison in 2010 after indecent images of children were found on his computer.

He was released again in 2013.

In 2017, he was recalled once more after another offence involving indecent images of children.

His subsequent parole proceedings have therefore remained closely watched, particularly by James’s family.

At his previous parole hearing in 2023, the Parole Board refused release and found that Venables still posed a risk of further offending.

JAMES’S MOTHER WANTED THE HEARING OPEN

James’s mother, Denise Fergus, had asked for the new hearing to be made public.

Her argument was that greater transparency could help address misinformation surrounding the case and allow people to better understand how parole decisions are made.

The application was also supported by James’s father, Ralph Bulger, who has strongly criticised the decision to keep the hearing private.

The Parole Board, however, concluded that the circumstances did not meet the high threshold required for a public hearing.

One concern cited was that allowing the hearing to be public could make it difficult for Venables to give evidence because of potential threats to his safety.

A PAINFUL WAIT FOR JAMES’S FAMILY

For James’s parents, the parole process brings back memories of a tragedy that happened more than 30 years ago.

Ralph Bulger has described the decision as an insult, while Denise Fergus has previously spoken about the emotional impact of repeatedly having to confront the case.

Under reforms introduced earlier this year, victims can attend private parole hearings in certain circumstances.

Denise Fergus has been granted permission to observe the hearing.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

For now, Venables’ future remains undecided.

The upcoming hearing will determine whether the Parole Board believes he can safely be released under licence or should remain in custody.

Whatever the outcome, the case continues to reopen one of Britain’s most painful criminal justice stories.

For James Bulger’s family, more than 30 years have passed.

But the question of what happens to the man convicted of taking their little boy’s life is still not over.

And this time, the decision will be made behind closed doors.